Cummings Government searches desperately for a reverse gear.

[JohnD]

Reverse gear: Robert Halfon, who chairs the Commons Education Committee, signalled he could back Labour's motion - and said there was "significant" support among Conservatives for extending the scheme.

 

[EddieM]

Even the conservatives know they've scored a massive own goal on this one.

 

[JohnD]

Reverse gear: Senior Conservative MP Sir Bernard Jenkin told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme: “I think we have to admit that we have misunderstood the mood of the country here.

 

[Vinty]

They could be changing gear because they are running out of excuses

 

[ellal]

Tories get into power because they promised the Utopia that the 'oppressed' erroneously believed would come into being...

But the oppression got worse...

Tories backpeddling as little as possible simply to keep their grip on power...

Nothing changes!

 

[JP_]

It still amazes me how the Tory marketing machine have managed to fool poor, working class people into believing that Tory's are best for the economy and jobs, and that labour are so useless they can't do anything. Labour, the party that created the NHS, set minimum wage, created fairer working environment, improving workers rights etc. etc.

And of course, the only reason infant school kids get free meals is because of the coalition with the lib dems.

Tory MPs seem to hate children in general, and poor children with a vengeance. They still have this crazy attitude that if you let them starve they will somehow go away and the problem will solve itself. Blinkered, selfish politics.

 

[Notch7]

Matt Hancock is claiming they have been in touch with Marcus Rashford.

Marcus politely pointed out the last time the govt got in touch was June.

 

[motorbiking]

I'm afraid I don't get the "why" on this one. The govt. payouts are costing each tax payer an avg of £2,000 extra per year. This issue seems to be about how the help is delivered not the "if". What is the difference between government voucher and a council voucher?

 

[Notch7]

I'm afraid I don't get the "why" on this one. The govt. payouts are costing each tax payer an avg of £2,000 extra per year. This issue seems to be about how the help is delivered not the "if". What is the difference between government voucher and a council voucher?

money to councils has already been spent

thats the difference

 

[durhamplumber]

Matt Hancock is claiming they have been in touch with Marcus Rashford.

Marcus politely pointed out the last time the govt got in touch was June.

So fekin what

 

[JP_]

So fekin what

I think the issue is that it is very misleading. After seeing how many people are backing him, the government are trying to pretend that they are talking to him, when in fact they have been ignoring him. It's pretty heartless really, but why anybody would expect our government to do any different is a mystery. They'll keep saying they won't help feed the kids, right up until the point that their advisors decide that it will cost too many votes, then they'll do a U turn and blame other parties for holding them back, and the papers will quickly publish something about a labour MP walking past a food bank without donating some of their shopping, and everybody will think Tory MPs are lovely, generous people again.

In short, they only give back to the people to avoid losing votes.

 

[motorbiking]

It's not their money they are giving its ours. They have already done a huge amount to fuel people through the pandemic. I'm not entirely sure I understand why there might be a significant increase demand for free dinners as a result of Covid. There are around 3M people not getting help, but I'm not sure they'd qualify for kids meals?

 

[JohnD]

They have already done a huge amount to fuel people through the pandemic.

Quite right. No problem funding restaurant-goers with a tenner towards their steak, chips and black forest gateau.

Regardless of need.

Send money to business owners even when they're on regular seasonal closed period.

But the hungry children of the poor?

Nope.

Not deserving.

Some of them might have uncaring or inadequate parents, or mentally ill or sick parents. Punish the kids for that.

Poverty is a sin, and the children must not be permitted to choose their parents so unwisely.

 

[JP_]

I don't know the full details myself. But kids are in school only 39 weeks a year, and government/s have seen the need for child health and wellbeing to feed them. School holidays, 13 weeks a year, can be very tough for poor children, and coupled with the fact that many people are either on furlough (ending) or have lost their job, money is even tighter than normal.

But we don't need to know the full details, which are only available to government anyway, all we need to decide is, do we feed hungry children or not?

 

[motorbiking]

We should feed hungry Children = No brainer.
Councils have the money to help people in need. Are councils saying they don't have money to stop children going hungry? Plenty have already decided to provide holiday meals. Plenty of businesses have seized the opportunity by backing Marcus Rashford's campaign. Now that is where he has made a difference.

I don't know the full details myself either, but don't think this is about a govt not wanting to feed hungry kids. I think the real argument is in the delivery.

Some of them might have uncaring or inadequate parents, or mentally ill or sick parents. Punish the kids for that.

Councils are responsible for this already. A free school dinner, is not the answer to needing to be in care, sadly.

This is a Tory PR fail as far as I can see.